Generally, a digital content catalog is stored in a database on a remote server, and contains metadata associated with various types of digital content. The digital content may be digitized forms of various types of products such as movies, videos, music, literature and other documents, games, applications and other collections of data. The digital content in this catalog may also relate to physical products and other hard goods, which products might be available for purchase, wherein the digital content catalog contains digitized information relating to these physical products.
The digital content catalog is used by a potential consumer referenced herein as a digital subscriber, who accesses the digital content catalog through a remote, computerized access device, which may be a computer or other digital device such as a tablet, smartphone, game console, Blu-ray Player/Recorder, internet-enabled television or any other similar access device. The access device contains a processor which runs a consumer storefront application, which can be a native application, an HTML application accessed by a browser or the like. The storefront application displays a computerized storefront associated with the digital content catalog.
Generally, the digital content catalog and the metadata associated therewith is stored at and within a managed datacenter containing master storage devices which include digital storage media that is maintained on servers or other similar storage devices. The data stored on the servers is accessed through a data connection, preferably a web-based data connection, which allows communications between the remote access device and the master storage device.
Entitlements for digital content can be obtained through various transactions, and for example, can be rented, purchased or subscribed to through the digital content storefront and its consumer storefront application by the digital subscriber. In this regard, the digital subscriber can search and access information from the digital content catalog in order to browse and select specific digital content to which the digital subscriber wishes to obtain entitlements. The consumer storefront application allows this search, access and subscriber capability through the remote access device.
Typically, a remote access device accesses and searches, and then can acquire entitlements to the digital content catalog directly from the managed datacenter. However, known systems of such direct distribution of digital content can be slower and less reliable, particularly where bandwidth to the managed datacenter is restricted or overloaded.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved access to and distribution of digital content from a digital content catalog.